The Rookie creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley is staying home at Lionsgate Television.
Hawley has extended his overall deal with the studio. Under the renewed multi-year deal, he’ll continue shepherding the Rookie franchise while also developing and producing new projects for Lionsgate.
“I’m thrilled to continue my partnership with Lionsgate Television,” Hawley said in a statement. “They’ve been an invaluable creative partner and a strong champion of my work. I’m drawn to stories that are propulsive and entertaining, while still grounded in deeply human characters and real emotional stakes. I look forward to continuing to build on our work together while bringing new ideas and ambitious stories to the studio in the years ahead.”
The Rookie is going into its ninth season at ABC and remains a strong ratings draw, averaging 10.6 million viewers over five weeks of cross-platform viewing in 2025-26. It’s also among the most streamed series in the United States, drawing 12.82 billion minutes of watch time on Hulu in the first half of the year. Season nine of the series and a spinoff, The Rookie: North, are both set to premiere on ABC in early 2027.
“Alexi has built The Rookie into one of broadcast television’s strongest and most enduring franchises, with a flagship series that continues to grow and a compelling new chapter on the horizon with The Rookie: North,” said Kevin Beggs, chair and chief creative officer of Lionsgate Television Group. “He has a remarkable ability to create characters and stories that resonate with audiences year after year and bring a new generation of viewers into the franchise. We’re excited to continue our partnership as we grow The Rookie franchise and bring Alexi’s new projects to the screen.”
Hawley also created Netflix’s spy thriller The Recruit and is currently developing The Envoy, a hostage drama inspired by a 2024 Vanity Fair story by Adam Ciralsky (who is an executive producer), at HBO Max. Hawley’s credits also include another Rookie spinoff subtitled Feds, Castle and The Following.
Hawley is repped by The Shuman Company and Hansen Jacobson.
